Certainly Uncertain

So few things in life are certain. Ben Franklin taught us only two things in life are certain: death and taxes. I always found this kind of dark and depressing. This is a little better:

*laser sounds*

Oh Harrison, what a dream boat.

Erm, anywho, I’m not trying to get all deep and weird here, by the way. What I’m getting at, I suppose, is that I am absolutely certain that just about nothing is certain.

Take pregnancy for example. Pregnancy is never certain. No matter how many times you read “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” you can never reallyknow what to expect. You can get a pretty good ideaaaa of what to expect. Really, though, you won’t be certain of how your experience will be until you have it.

It’s kind of crazy for me actually. I may have heard my little munchin’s heartbeat twice already, but there are some days when I’m like…“Are we suuuuuuuuuuuuuure there’s a baby in there?”I’ve heard so many horrible stories about women spending the entire first three months of their pregnancy in the bathroom or passed out on the couch. Every email I get says “your nausea should be subsiding now” and “you’ll be less tired soon” and “soon your appetite will return” and while I’ve absolutely had some mornings where I didn’t quite feel tip-top I’m still completely flabbergasted that I’ve made it this far feeling as good as I do. I’d like to attribute it to my healthy lifestyle, but I may never know for certain!

One of the few things that I am always certain of is my ability to make my Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins, without a recipe in front of me, every single time.

Johnny loves these muffins. I love these muffins. My in-laws love these muffins. They’re so delicious and chocolaty and I never feel too guilty eating them because I don’t use any butter or oil in the recipe. I love knowing that every time I make them they will come out exactly as I anticipate.

Besides bananas, the primary ingredient in these muffins is oats. These muffins are almost more like individual baked oatmeals than they are muffins, as they are quite dense. But two of these babies will ring in at just over 300 calories – perfect for the first meal of the day – and you get a wonderful combination or fruit, whole grains, protein, and chocolate! Oats are also fantastic for moms-to-be! The fiber will help to keep your belly full and keep away any hunger pangs until lunch time.

There is absolutely nothing bad about these muffins, except, perhaps, that we go through them so fast. I literally make these once a week. Sometimes, for funsies, I’ll make them in my mini muffin tin if I want them to be more snackable than breakfastable. I hope you love them as much as my family and I do!! Look at that cute lil’ muffin!

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

4 super ripe bananas, mashed

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 cup nonfat milk

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 cups rolled oats

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons cinnamon

A pinch of salt

1/4-1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/4-1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Spray a standard or mini muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the mashed bananas, eggs, vanilla, milk, and sugars. Mix well.

Add the oats, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Stir until just combined.

Add the chocolate chips and walnuts and stir gently to incorporate.

Fill the muffin tin with the mixture, filling each cup just about to the top as these don’t rise too much.

Bake at 375 until golden brown, about 25 minutes.

The batch in this photo right here have some dried cranberries and 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder in them, too. Because why not? They’re my muffins and I can do what I want. Try the above recipe or add your own flair to them. Either way, I’m certain they’ll be awesome!

Oh those muffins looks good. I think one needs to embrace a certain amount of uncertainty. Ok maybe a lot. It helps me try and go with the flow more. That’s awesome you haven’t had any ailments during your pregnancy. I’ve never been pregnant but that would be one of the things I fear the most. Hope all goes well the rest of the time. And I love, LOVE Star Wars!